http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?id=1820154 Friday, June 11, 2004 J.T. from Mason City, Iowa, writes: What do you think of Minnesota's draft, considering their monetary limits? They have a strong farm system and I want to know if this draft class will contribute to that. Like the Cubs, the Twins have an excellent farm system, but their approach is much more conventional than the Moneyball teams. One sabermetrically-oriented GM told me last year that the Twins "may be the most traditional club in the way they scout players, but they are damn good at it." As you pointed out, the Twins have monetary limits, making their windfall of extra picks (five picks before the second round) a double-edged sword. The Twins picked California high school shortstop Trevor Plouffe with their first pick. He is an athletic infielder with a strong arm and a line-drive bat. Local guy Glen Perkins, from the University of Minnesota, also went in the first round. He is a college southpaw with good control, perhaps a slight overdraft but hard for the Twins to pass up. The third first-round pick, Tennessee high schooler Kyle Waldrop, is a power pitcher who signed very quickly. Most teams thought he was headed to Vanderbilt. I also like supplemental picks Matt Fox, a right-hander from Central Florida, and Jay Rainville, a high school power pitcher from Rhode Island. Fox in particular could move VERY quickly. The rest of the draft leaned to the high school side, and it remains to be seen how many of these guys the Twins will sign. But I think they did a good job considering their budget limits and extra picks. Minnesota's ability to spot talent using traditional methods is outstanding, but they really need to get over their reluctance to let some of these kids play. Justin Morneau has no business in Triple-A. --

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